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Ann Melvin, MD
Associate Program Director, Research Subject Advocate Program

Office: CHRMC W-7871
Mailstop W-6605
(206) 987-2535
ann.melvin@seattlechildrens.org

DSMP Example: DSMP for a Phase II multicenter study of an approved agent used for a new indication.
 
 

This DSMP also includes the use of a Data and Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMB).

This is a risk-level III, multi-center investigation of an approved agent used for a new indication in a pediatric population. (Note: The SAC may not REQUIRE a DSMB for a risk-level III study. The information below provides an example of a DSMP which includes a DSMB.)

Assessment and Reporting of Adverse Events (AE).

Oversight for this study at CHRMC will be provided by the PI with delegation of responsibilities to sub-investigators and designated study personnel. They will ensure all entry criteria are met prior to the initiation of the protocol and all study procedures and reporting of adverse events are performed according to the IRB and SAC-approved protocol.

An adverse event is any physical or clinical change experienced by the patient. This includes the onset of new symptoms and the exacerbation of pre-existing conditions. All AEs must be recorded in the patient's medical records and on the CRF. The severity of the AE will be assessed; actions/outcomes (e.g., hospitalization, discontinuation of therapy, etc.) will also be recorded for each AE. Patients with adverse events will be monitored with relevant clinical assessments and laboratory tests as determined by an investigator. All adverse events must be followed to satisfactory resolution or stabilization of the event(s).

Any actions taken and follow-up results must be recorded on the appropriate page of the CRF, as well as in the patient's source documentation. Follow-up laboratory results should be filed with the patient's source documentation.

All treatment and study procedure-related adverse events occurring at the site will be reported by the investigator to the IRB and the SAC of the GCRC according to the CHRMC IRB guidelines.

The following definitions will be used:

Mild: Awareness of sign, symptom, or event, but easily tolerated
Moderate: Discomfort enough to cause interference with usual activity and may warrant investigation.
Severe: Incapacitating with inability to do usual activities or significantly affects clinical status, and warrants intervention
Life-threatening: Immediate risk of death.

The onsite investigator must also assess the relationship of any adverse event to study procedure, based on available information, using the following guidelines:

0 = Unlikely no temporal association, or the cause of the event has been identified, or the procedure cannot be implicated
1 = Possibly temporal association, but other etiologies are likely the cause; however, involvement of the procedure cannot be excluded
2 = Probably temporal association, or other etiologies are possible, but unlikely.

Serious Adverse Events (SAEs).

All serious adverse events, whether or not deemed procedure-related or expected, must be reported by the to the study-monitor within 24 hours (one working day) by telephone. A written report must follow as soon as possible, which includes a full description of the event and any sequelae. This includes serious events that occur any time after the inclusion of the patient in the study until completion of the last visit.

A serious adverse event is any event that:

  • Is fatal
  • Is life threatening (life threatening is defined as the patient was at immediate risk of death from the AE as it occurred)
  • Is significantly or permanently disabling
  • Requires hospitalization, or prolongs hospitalization
  • Is a congenital anomaly or birth defect

Important medical events that may not result in death, be life-threatening, or require hospitalization may be considered serious adverse experiences when, upon appropriate medical judgement, they may jeopardize the patient and may require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the outcomes listed in the definition. Examples of such medical events include allergic bronchospasm requiring intensive treatment in an emergency department or home, blood dyscrasias or convulsions that do no result in hospitalization, or the development of drug dependency or abuse. The death of any patient during the study, regardless of the cause, must be reported within 24 hours by telephone, to the study monitor. A full written report must follow as soon as possible. If an autopsy is performed, a copy should be provided to the study monitor.

Reports of all serious adverse events, including deaths, must be communicated to the appropriate Institutional Review Board or ethical review committee and/or reported in accordance with local laws and regulations.

Serious adverse events (SAE's) will be monitored by the Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) in real time throughout the trial. SAE's must be reported by the Onsite Investigator to the Therapeutic Development Network Coordinating Center (TDNCC) within 24 hours of learning of the event. All SAE's that are reported to the TDNCC will be reviewed by a blinded medical monitor. At the same time, the SAE report will be sent via fax to the DMC chair and to Dr. X, the Principal Investigator at the lead institution (X).

In addition to monitoring SAE's, the chair of the DMC will be given monthly summaries of safety data. This will include unblinded adverse event listings from all study patients that will be provided by the TDN Data Management Unit. The DMC may at any point decide that unblinding is necessary and may temporarily stop the study for concerns of patient safety.

An interim analysis for safety will be conducted after 24 study subjects have completed the protocol. At the time of interim analysis, a comprehensive unblinded safety report will be generated for all members of the DMC to review. The safety report will be prepared by select unblinded members of the TDN Statistical Analysis Unit (SAU), and will include a summary of adverse event rates by treatment group. The purpose of this review is to determine whether or not the study should be terminated for reasons of subject safety. Since the data to be accumulated addresses both study medication efficacy and standardization of NPD results between different TDN study sites, the interim analysis will only address safety concerns and not efficacy.

The DMC may recommend early termination of the study for reasons of patient safety based on the interim review of this data. This information will be communicated directly from the DMC to the lead investigator (Dr. X) and Medical Monitor (Drs. X,X,X) at the TDNCC.

If additional concerning systemic symptoms are identified by the DMC, interim unblinded review of the data and the study medication treatment group can be conducted at the discretion of the DMC at any time following consultation with the Medical Monitor and the lead investigator (Dr. X).

The DMC will communicate with the site PI of all study sites holding IRB approval for this study. The DMC will report the following:

  • The nature of the review (including pertinent safety data).
  • A brief description of any serious adverse events or concerns regarding systematic adverse events.
  • Decisions of the DMC regarding the study.

The site PI will forward the DMC communications to the IRB and PSAC.

The chairman of the DMC will be X, MD, at the University of Arizona. Dr. X has reviewed and approved the protocol, and will establish a DMC consisting of two CF-clinicians (one of whom will be Dr. X).

The contact information for Dr. X is provided below:

Telephone:

Fax:

E-mail:

See Appendix 1 for the DMC charter.

top | Site Credits NCRR Funded under NCRR Grant M01-RR-00037 Updated: 03/02/2006 11:41 AM
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